Namira Shepard
by NamiraN7
Summary: Namira Shepard, and her story through the Mass Effect world saga. Based heavily on the game, but i will add personalised stories where the opportunity arises within the main plot, mainly to add to the awesomeness that is Shenko. Everyone likes reviews :
1. Prologue

**Namira Shepards' Mass Effect**

This fanfic is basically my Shepard, Namira Shepard and her journey through the Mass Effect games. The story, characters, franchise, belongs to Bioware and the wonderfully creative people who have made this fantastic world. It originally started as the first game in novel form, something for myself, but I've since personalised it.

It follows the whole story, with my own bits added in to suit my Sheps character. I adore the mass effect franchise, and have done this to sate my cravings of it. Hopefully this will hold me over until ME3.… and if others enjoy it and it helps soothe their cravings, well that's great too! I have only recently gained the balls to make my writing public, so please be gentle! Constructive criticism is of course welcome.

Namira Shepard. Earthborn soldier, and mostly paragon, but if a renegade reply is better, I'll replace it.

**Prologue**

I walked into the bar with head held high and gaze straight ahead, not hesitating to make eye contact with anyone who stared at me. Walking into a room by yourself was daunting enough, if you dislike the attention, and if you generally feel uncomfortable at the time.

As a commander of an alliance fleet, it wasn't often that I wore anything remotely feminine. The armour we wore could be considered as such, but in truth the suits were tight fitted, so wrapped around my womanly curves whether I wanted them to or not. They were high in the neck, and covered every square inch of my body. But the shape of my bosom and curves of my behind couldn't be concealed, and were in fact accentuated by the materials. And truth be told, that was just as much incentive to stay in shape as being able to deal with my job was.

Other than that, to my crew I was still seen as an asexual, hermaphroditic authority figure. Not that I'd have it any other way, can't really imagine being respected as much if I worked the field wearing what I am now. _'Johnson, status report! Ah, Johnson? I'm up here'._

But we were allowed a brief period of free time, all of us, by our Captain. I had never visited the citadel before, but had little time for sight seeing, so I used rapid transit to get where I needed to be. I had just been assigned to the Normandy, and all of us were waiting for the Captain to take care of some bullshit at the Embassy with the human Ambassador.

There were only three places to go on the citadel, Chora's den, the Embassy bar or Flux. Chora's den was a no go, unless you want to mix with the local thugs and watch scantily clad Asari dance for money. Which I don't, monogendered or not, they look pretty damn feminine to me.

Flux was a lot more high end, and provided gambling, but I felt better off there than in the embassy. The embassy was preferred by most. Not because it was mainly human, but because it was a refuge for alliance militia, and so close to the C sec (Citadel Security) academy you needn't worry about any trouble brewing.

And so I entered the bar area, dodging various groupings of people standing in the way, trying not to stare too blatantly at the dance floor to my right. Which included a squat Volus jigging away between a harem of giggling human women. Stairs to the right of me lead up to the gambling area, with the bar underneath that stairwell. I headed straight for one of the few seating areas this place had.

I tried not to think about the bewildered stares of my men, and tried not to show my annoyance at them choosing to come to this bar. I would have been better off risking Chora's den. I could hear several of them discussing some kind of Consort. They clearly didn't care for the respect of their peers. Part of me mentally scorned them for it, while another part envied it.

I passed three of them, who all stared at me bar one, Alenko. Scratch that, he was following the gaze of his pals now. I looked straight back at each of them, challenging them.

"Ma'am" one of them spoke up, nodding his head at me. In my head I was daring him to smile. _Go ahead, risk it. _I watched his mouth as a corner of it pulled up, then twitched back down.

"At ease, boys." I said dispassionately with a sigh, and moved away from them quickly, getting pissed that they might be watching me still.

Their Commander was wearing a black dress, a safe colour that still went well with her brown hair and hazel eyes, if I do say so myself. The dress reached just above the knee and dipped to show cleavage. I tried walking steadily in my heels but truth be told I had little experience with them, now was not the time to fall on my ass and lose the respect of my men.

I was here to meet someone, the reason for my making an effort. I found a table and sat with a drink, a drink I didn't intend on drinking. I wasn't one for losing control, it was weak, and I hated the feeling. I was the kind of person who liked to be in control at all times, but that was why I was so damn good at my job.

I sat and waited, checking the local time on the wall several times. Within five minutes I felt antsy, and just wanted to go home. Ok, he wasn't supposed to meet me for another five minutes, but I looked like a fool here by myself. I imagined my crew thinking the same thing, and I felt like throttling them.

He was an old flame from my past, one that never really ended. Not for me anyway. My occupation proved hazardous to relationships. It was something a lot of soldiers had to deal with. I spent nearly all my time in space or in different clusters of the galaxy since signing up at the young age of 18, there was no room for a relationship. But that didn't stop me wanting one. I was still a woman.

And that was what the meeting was about. _Meeting. _Formal even off the job. I wanted to see if this would work. And I had planned on it not going great. I would resign from matters of the heart. I would _be _the asexual hermaphroditic person I was seen as by many, a career woman, and that would be that.

I had to convince him, without being properly convinced myself. And, of course, once he had agreed and hung up I changed my own mind. I just needed to _know_, and then that would be that.

I shook my head, I didn't want to think of him too much. Or at all. I'd walk out right now if I thought it would go unnoticed.

Thoughts of my Captain, and his previous Captain and other 'career men' crept into my mind. John Grissom, a galactic human hero, whose wife and daughter left his life because he was so often out of theirs. Now a miserable old bastard rotting away on his own, still estranged from his daughter and looking like he's on deaths door in his 70's for gods sake. The last time I saw an image of him he could pass for someone twice his age.

And my very own Captain, David Anderson, another example of being married to the job. He had a wife and child, and seemed to be following in his predecessors footsteps. Those of lower rank had their lives and dreamed of joining their superiors. But we superiors just wanted what they had. A family, and the ability to keep them.

"Commander?"

I lost my thought track, and turned to see my Officer Kaidan Alenko staring back at me. He had an olive skin tone, jet black neatly kept hair and big dark eyes. He was handsome, but it was his soft and respectful demeanour that I imagine was most attractive to women. I noticed he frequently caught the attention of many of his female, and occasionally male, colleagues. He never paid the looks much mind, though.

I had met him briefly when I was introduced to the new crew. He was in his early thirties, biotic, and brooding. That summed up my knowledge of him.

I thought about this because I was staring at him, waiting for him to explain why he was interrupting me on my time off.

"Ah… Commander I just received word from the Captain, he wants you to get back to the Normandy ASAP, something about an assignment. Think his meeting with the Ambassador has concluded."

My hand went up to my face and rubbed, then I sighed. "Gather the men" I told him, and sat awhile as he did so.

I didn't even need to meet him to get my answer. It was just given to me. There's no room in my life for anything, or anyone, else. And that's just the way it has to be. Grissom and Anderson are lonely, sure, but they're the best the fleet has. Obviously the two are connected, and if I wanted to climb the ranks like them I better start focusing on my job. That was that.

I got up and hurried out in case he came. Putting my own feelings before his, as usual.

Last one out, last one back in. Not a good combination, not when your dressed up when you're supposed to be in charge. I had my heels in my hand for a quick dash through, and went straight to my quarters to change. I instantly felt better. I pulled on a t shirt, trousers and boots. I spent the remainder of the flight alone. Staring out the window, persuading myself the life of a single woman was the life for me. _Commander Spinster, at your service. _


	2. Prime Destination

**Chapter One: Prime Destination**

The Normandy slowed eventually, and I watched the planets go by via the port hole in my quarters. The slow meant we must be nearing the mass relay. I decided to head to the pilot area until Anderson called for me. I had passed a relay many times in my near decade of service, but it never stopped being something worth watching. As I walked to the cockpit, the pilot Joker was making his announcements.

"The Arcturus Prime relay is in range. Initiating transmission sequence."

Corporeal Jenkins brushed passed me in a hurry "Commander" he remembered himself. I twisted past him and carried on my way.

"We are connected. Calculating transit mass and destination... The relay is hot... Acquiring approach vector... All stations secure for transit… The board is green. Approach run has begun." Joker finished as I reached the cock pit. Three men were in the immediate area. Alenko, Joker, and a Turian, Nihlus. They paid no attention to my presence. I stood watch as we approached the mass relay.

"Hitting the relay in three... two... one..." With a huge blue flash, we had passed through the relay and was nearing our destination.

"Thrusters… check. Navigation… check. Internal commissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift… just under fifteen hundred k." Joker said in his usual pleased with himself voice. He was cocky, but it wasn't blind cockiness.

The Turian paid close attention. He held the usual reptilian-avian features of his species, with white tattooing over the scaly plates of his face. He paid me no attention, probably not important enough to be worthy of it. "Fifteen hundred is good." he finally spoke "Your captain will be pleased." And he started to leave the room.

I carried on and stood behind Joker, who was speaking to Alenko, who sat in the co pilots chair beside him. "I hate that guy." I turned, Nihlus was barely out of the immediate area. I thought about kicking his chair as a warning, but remembered he was flying a space ship.

Alenko looked at him oddly. "The guy pays you a compliment. So… you hate him?"

Joker looked immediately ticked off. "You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible!" The left side of my mouth turned up into a smile. If there was one thing he hated, it was being patronised.

Which just made the rest of us want to do it more.

Joker had a neat beard covering his face, dark brown like the rest of his hair, which he kept constantly covered with a baseball cap. He was impertinent and frequently defensive, but I sort of loved him for it. I sometimes found myself waiting for his contribution to a conversation just to hear what smart ass comment he would come out with next. He was one of the best pilots to come out of the academy, which is why he was tolerated so much.

"Besides Spectres are trouble, I don't like having him on board. Call me paranoid."

"You're paranoid. The council helped fund this project. They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

"Yeah" Joker retorted "That's the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story."

He was speaking the truth, no matter how arrogantly put. I had the same feeling, something was definitely being kept from the rest of us. Everyone felt it, they spoke it in their body language. "They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs." I said.

"So there's more going on here than the captains letting on."

We all drew quiet at the sound of a buzz. Speak of the devil. "Joker! Status report." demanded Anderson in a tone he saved just for his pilot.

"Just cleared the mass relay, Captain. Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid."

"Good. Find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to the alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."

"Aye, aye captain." Joker replied, actually sounding obedient for a change. "Better brace yourself, sir. I think _Nihlus _is headed your way." Guess he just couldn't help himself.

"He's _already _here, Lieutenant." Joker shook his head at himself, as did I. Kaidan shot him an exasperated glare, one he must have given him more times than I could count in my short time here. "Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing."

That was protocol, but his tone made me think I was in trouble. And even if I wasn't, it wouldn't be a pleasant atmosphere. "Great. You piss the Captain off and now I'm gonna pay for it."

"Pff. He always sounds like that when he's talking to me."

"Cant possibly imagine why." Kaidan got in there before I could.

"I'll leave you hens to keep clucking, then." I turned and started walking toward the comm room. As I reached the galaxy map area, I could hear Navigator Pressly talking to Engineer Adams.

"I'm telling you, I just saw him! He marched by like he was on a mission." Pressly exclaimed.

"He's a Spectre." Adams said indifferently. Glad to see someone wasn't wasting time speculating. "They're always on a mission."

"And we're getting dragged right along with him!" He turned and saw me approaching, so faced me and saluted, instantly straightening himself. "Congratulations, commander. Looks like we had a smooth run. You heading down to see the captain?"

I nodded. "Sounds like you don't trust out Turian guest?"

He got a little shifty. "Sorry, commander. Just having a chat with Adams down in engineering. didn't mean to cause any trouble. But you have to admit, something's odd about this mission. The whole crew feels it."

I raised my brow. "You think the Alliance brass is holding out on us?"

He threw his hands up, confirming he was truly on his way to the grumpy old man phase. Modern science meant our lifespan was far longer than in past times, but it didn't slow down the bitterness. We just had longer to accumulate it. "If all we're supposed to do is test out the stealth systems, why is Captain Anderson in charge?" he thought for a moment, then became excited, startling me with his change of mood "And then there's Nihlus! Spectres are elite operatives. Top covert agents. Why send a Spectre - a _Turian _spectre - on a shakedown run? It doesn't add up."

This is what happened to people who live out in space and spend too much time thinking. Though the unnecessary emphasis he placed on 'Turian' was a little eye opening. "You don't trust Nihlus."

"I don't trust Turians in general. Runs in my family. My grandfather fought in the first contact war; lost a lot of friends when the Turians hit us."

I was surprised how honest he was. Being xenophobic wasn't something someone would or should readily admit to. "That was thirty years ago. You cant blame Nihlus for that." I said, stating the obvious.

"No, I guess not. But it still makes me nervous to have a spectre on board, especially a Turian. We're an alliance vessel, human military. But Nihlus doesn't answer to the captain like the rest of us. Spectres operate outside the normal chain of command. And they don't come along just to observe shakedown runs." he chuckled to himself, like I should know better. "Nihlus looks like he's expecting some heavy action. I don't like it."

Pressly was in the wrong job if he was worried about dangerous missions. And it'd likely be my ass on the line, anyhow. I focused myself, this man was taking too much of my time, though it was good to get a sense of where the crews at. Anderson wont appreciate my lateness, that's for sure. "I'll see if I can get some answers when I see him."

I moved on quickly, but ran straight into yet another gossip fest. This time between Doctor Chakwas, the ships medic, and Corporeal Jenkins. "I grew up on Eden Prime, Doc. Its not the kind of place Spectres visit. There's something Nihlus isn't telling us about the mission." Jenkins was a young man, and foolhardy. He was average looking with brown hair and an unpleasant nose. Not horrible to look at, but tolerable.

Dr Chakwas was an older woman, a grey bob set around her wide ice blue eyes. A no nonsense, mind set to mission woman, and the ships medic. She'd served with the Alliance for years. "That's crazy. The Captain's in charge here. He wouldn't take orders from a Spectre."

"Not his choice doc, spectres don't answer to anyone. They can do whatever they want. Kill anyone that gets in their way!"

"Ha!" She joined in on his excitement, one that I thought rivalled Pressly's. "You watch too many spy vids, Jenkins."

Unfortunately I caught the Corporals' eye, most likely my own fault for eyeballing the conversation. "What do you think Commander? We wont be staying on Eden Prime too long, will we? I'm itching for some real action!"

I felt myself roll my eyes, but the Doc got in there first. "I sincerely hope your kidding, Corporal. Your 'real action' usually ends with me patching up crew members in the infirmary."

My thoughts exactly. "You need to calm down, Corporal. A good soldier stays cool even under fire."

"Sorry Commander, but this waiting is killing me. I've never been on a mission like this before. Not one with a Spectre on board!"

Our words had flown straight through one ear and out the next. "Just treat this like every other assignment you've had and everything will work out." I reassured him.

"This is my big chance. I need to show the brass what I can do!"

"You're young corporal. You got a long career ahead of you. Don't do something stupid to mess it up."

"Don't worry ma'am, I'm not going to screw this up."

And I knew he was right. I was sure he was all talk, his nerves getting the better of him. He was worrying about his career, and feeding off the nerves and speculation from the rest of the crew.

I turned to leave, but remembered him saying he grew up on Eden prime. "What's it like?"

"Its very peaceful commander. They've been real careful with development, so you don't have any noise or pollution. It was gorgeous. But when I got older, I realized it was a little too calm and quiet for me. That's why I joined the Alliance. Even paradise gets boring after a while."

Another statement to his youth. "The Captains waiting for me."

I reached the comm room, but the Captain was no where to be seen, only Nihlus stood inside. The room was a broad circle with seats lining the outside. Nihlus had the screen up, the image it was showing must be the nirvana of Eden Prime. He turned and acknowledged me for the first time… ever.

"Commander Shepard. I was hoping you'd get here first. It'll give us a chance to talk." he said.

I looked at him sceptically. "The Captain said he'd meet me here."

"He's on his way." I stopped and turned, looking over at the port hole that showed our destination. "I'm interested in this world we're going to - Eden Prime. I've heard its quite beautiful."

"I've never been."

"But you know of it, it's become something of a symbol for your people, hasn't it? Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it, really?"

He was asking me? I hated people skirting around the truth, talking to me like a damn politician. "You trying to scare me, Spectre?" I daren't be much blunter, I'll end up reprimanded like Joker earlier. I could take bullets to my ass, but I had a hard time taking blows to my pride.

"Your people are still newcomers, Shepard. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place." That sounded like a threat, but I continued to keep my cool. "Is the Alliance truly ready for this?" he asked, as though humanity had only just descended its testicles. Maybe compared to other races we had, but the point was we had the balls. And humanity certainly could prosper and take its rightful place on the Council, we have what it takes.

The shuttle door whooshed and Captain Anderson finally arrived. "I think it's about time we told the commander what's really going on." he said in haste, as though he had been part of the conversation all along and had just been standing outside while Nihlus circled me like a vulture.

I knew something was up from the moment Nihlus started questioning me. He stepped toward me "This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run." Duh.

I was growing impatient. "Is someone going to fill me in, Captain?"

Anderson turned to face me. "We're making a covert pick up on Eden Prime. that's why we needed the stealth systems operational."

"There must be a reason you didn't tell me about this, sir." _Answer the damn question._

"This comes down from the top, Commander. Information strictly on a need to know basis. A research team on Eden prime unearthed some kind beacon during an excavation. It was Prothean."

Prothean. I only knew what little I had concentrated on watching vids. An extinct alien race, gone for what, like fifty thousand years now. The predecessors that gave each alien race its means into space. It amazed me that their stuff was still being found. It seemed like if there was a habitable planet, the Protheans would have known about it and made their mark upon it.

"What else can you tell me?"

"This is big Shepard." he exclaimed, clearly he wanted me to make a bigger fuss over the origins of the discovery. "Last time humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forward two hundred years. But Eden prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. We need to bring the beacon back to the citadel for proper study."

Nihlus tuned in. "Obviously, this goes beyond mere human interests, Commander. This discovery could affect every species in Council space."

I decided to smile through what they were both saying. "Well, it never hurts to have a few extra hands on board."

"The beacons not the only reason I'm here."

I was confused, so looked to Anderson for an answer. "Nihlus wants to see you in action, Commander. He's here to evaluate you."

Right, now I was getting answers. "Guess that explains why I bump into him every time I turn around."

"The alliance has been pushing for this for a long time. Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with Citadel Council. The Spectre's represent the Councils power and authority, if they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come."

_Evaluate me. Spectre. _

I finally made the link, but could barely have a coherent thought in my head let alone put one into words. I, a human female, was being evaluated for Spectre candidacy? The first of our race? _Holy shit, sir. _

Nihlus stood next to me. "Not many have survived what you went through on previous missions. I'm talking about the blitz of course. You showed a remarkable will to live - a particularly useful talent. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres."

I didn't respond to the first part of that question. Yeah, that part of my life meant I was granted great rank, but I was constantly being reminded of it.

I was taken aback by my candidacy, though. I decided not to give it any thought unless it looked likely. "I assume this is good for the alliance." I directed at the Captain.

"Earth needs this Shepard. We're counting on you."

"I need to see your skills for myself, commander, Eden prime will be the first of several missions together."

"You will be the ground team. Secure the beacon and get into the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission."

And so that was that. I had always been someone who wanted to serve, something with action. There was the army, police, fire bridge. All worthy goals, but not really me. The whole reason I joined the alliance was to help secure mans future in space. _That _seemed the most worthy goal of all, and I had since been dedicated to it. Procuring such an esteemed role was an honour. Would be, rather. "Just give the word captain."

"We should be getting close to Eden-"

"Captain!" Joker interrupted. "We've got a problem"

Anderson sounded pissed at the mere sound of his voice. "What's wrong, Joker?"

"Transmission from Eden prime sir! You better see this!"

"Bring it up on screen."

We all moved over to the screen, and watched in silence as the scene unfolded. Gun shots were fired, soldiers darting about, smoke covering the screen. Chaos. A woman soldier in white and pink armour came towards the screen, screaming "Get down!" to whomever held the camera. After knocking her companion down, she fired more shots into the air. The vid screen tumbled and rolled about violently.

A male officer came on screen. "We're under attack, taking heavy casualties. I repeat, heavy casualties! We cant… argh!… -eed evac! They came out of nowhere. We need-" the man was suddenly ripped from view. The screen showed several other men, looking scared for their life, gawking at something off screen.

A huge claw drew from the smoke, a metallic machine with sparks flying from it. It groaned as it moved and debris flew everywhere in sight.

The screen tumbled and fuzzed violently. Then it went blank. Everyone stared at the screen still, as though the scene was still playing out in front of us.

Joker cut in "Everything cuts out after that, no comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing."

"Reverse and hold at 38.5" ordered Anderson. The screen reversed until it displayed, once more, the giant claw that seized the land beyond the soldiers. We all stood and studied it. "Status report!"

"Seventeen minutes out, captain. No other alliance ships in the area."

"Take us in Joker, fast and quiet. This mission just got a lot more complicated."

_So much for my evaluation._

Nihlus seemed unfazed by it all, he was already leaving the room. "A small strike team can move quickly without drawing attention. Its our best chance to secure the beacon." he left to prepare.

"Grab your gear and meet us in the cargo hold. Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up, commander. You're going in."

I turned once more to the screen, I didn't know how to feel about that thing. Hopefully I wouldn't be encountering it at all. The beacon was still my priority, as were survivors, whether the Captain agreed to that or not.

I moved out to the cockpit first, shouting a "Suit up, Alenko." at the back of his head. I did the same to a thrilled Jenkins, then went and got myself ready to hit ground.

The three of us stood near the hold, deafened by the roar of the ship, waiting for drop point two. Nihlus was assigned the first. The ships intercom came on. "Stealth systems engaged. Someone was doing some serious digging here, Captain."

Anderson listened, then turned to face the three of us. "Your team's the muscle in this operation, Commander. Go in heavy and head straight for the dig site."

"What about survivors, sir?" Kaidan asked what I daren't not.

"Helping survivors is a _Secondary _objective. The beacons your top priority."

"Approaching drop point one." Joker said, and I then felt ready. Just one more drop point and I could hit ground. The anticipation was getting less and less bearable.

Nihlus was suddenly stood beside us, readying his weapon. Jenkins did a double take "Nihlus, you coming with us?"

Nihlus didn't even look up from his weapon. "I move faster on my own" and he charged off the ship.

"Nihlus will scout out ahead. He'll feed you reports throughout the mission. Otherwise, I want radio silence."

The adrenaline was taking over now. The buzz of combat was near. A good soldier will always try to avoid it, but after being cooped up on a ship for so long, nothing was better to relieve the stress. "Ready and able, sir!"

"The mission's yours now, Shepard. Good luck."

"We are approaching drop point two." Joker notified. This was ours, and we hopped off.

We landed, and looked around the perimeter. It truly looked like paradise, beautiful greenery and dense vegetation, very little development. No wildlife could be seen, but animals would likely flee after what happened here.

Though beauty could still be seen, you could also see the effects of whatever happened here. Random clouds of black smoke were dotted about, some could be seen coming off huge buildings. The blasting of sniper rifles and pistols were echoing around us, at first sounding like a storm but soon recognisable as gunfire.

"Ship perimeter secure, Commander" Kaidan confirmed.

I heard the buzz of my radio, and started moving forward. "This place got hit hard, Commander. Hostiles everywhere. Keep your guard up."

The only way through was left, so I set off that way, knowing the two with me would follow. To the right were some strange yellow blobs moving around, I held my gun at them, but soon realised they held no interest in me. The bottom half of them looked like creatures, the top looked like a collection of infected pustules. And they were floating?

"What the hell are those!" Kaidan was startled, he pointed his gun at them, but Jenkins moved it down.

"They're just gas bags, completely harmless. 'Cept when they explode, they're toxic. But that'd only happen if you shot at them."

Disappointed, I lowered my weapon.

It didn't really explain what they were, but I went into mission mode, and set off to find the beacon.

As we edged around the first corner, Jenkins was clearly grief stricken in realizing it wasn't just the drop point that looked like it had experienced carnage. "Oh, God. What happened here?" he sounded truly distraught.

But this was no time to offer comfort. I readied my weapon, and readied myself for whatever lie around the corner.

The area around us was filled with smoke and broken stones were scattered about, but I could appreciate the extra cover that gave us. Ahead of us, two more buildings could be seen. What looked like sparks were shooting off the building. I couldn't tell if it was gunfire from this distance.

Kaidan and Jenkins were chattering behind me. "Smells like smoke and death." I heard Kaidan say, I turned to see him shaking his head.

I disagreed. "I cant smell anything past the burning."

But from the looks of any corpses we passed, that's exactly how they met their death.

Jenkins was admittedly quiet, being totally focused on the mission wasn't his forte, anyway. I think Kaidan was talking to him to see if he was okay, in some manly way.

I got down behind a slab of stone, and motioned for the men to go ahead and do the same. I scoped out the area ahead, then waved my hand forward for them to check it out.

Before any of us could make a decision, Jenkins rushed forward with his weapon. Two strange turret like machines flew out of nowhere. Enemy fire spurted towards him, causing his body to spasm against the hail of bullets diving into his torso as a wail of pain and fear escaped his lips. Another of the turret scouts appeared, and myself and Alenko got behind cover and took them out.

Alenko and I rushed forward to our fallen comrade. His limp, tangled body lie still on the ground, mouth gaping open like his scream was frozen upon it. Alenko bent down and ran a hand down his face, closing his eyes in respect. "Ripped right through his shields. Never had a chance." He looked to me for guidance.

I looked down at my charge, and cursed myself for being right about him. Then cursed myself for not telling them to hold off while _I _scope it out. I knew he was over eager. But that no longer mattered.

"We'll see that he receives a proper service once the mission is complete." I soothed, then pointed and stared Kaidan straight in the eye. "But I need you to stay focused."

"Aye, aye, ma'am."

We took out several more of the turrets, then I heard the buzz of my radio again. "We've got some burned out buildings here, Shepard. A _lot _of bodies. I'm going to check it out. I'll try to catch up with you at the dig site."

We turned a corner, and a scene started to unroll before my eyes. A female soldier, the woman from the distress call, was running toward us. I was amazed she had survived. Behind her, some kind of synthetics were firing at her. They zoomed hastily toward her, and I realised they were more of the same.

They were firing, and she twisted her body round and took them out. Once she was up, she sprinted again, and I soon saw why. More synthetics, big ones this time, were coming her way. They were four limbed, bipedal and made up like most sentient creatures. They took a couple of shots at her, and I almost stepped forward when they made contact and caused her to stumble. But a blue flash indicated her shields had taken the brunt, so I held back.

She dived behind cover and even from a distance I could see her neck pulsating and mouth panting, trying to catch her breath. I aimed and ran for the spot beside her. I shimmied to the very edge of the rock I leant against, breathed, and bent around the corner. I did this with confidence, knowing my shields would take the first few shots my way.

My assault rifle made short work of them. I took aim at the other, but its body had fallen to the floor before I could pull the trigger. Kaidan lowered his weapon, gave the all clear, and started walking over.

I pulled my body back round, and turned to the exhausted woman beside me. "Thanks for your help, ma'am. I didn't think I was going to make it." She tried catching her breath once more. "Gunnery chief Ashley Williams of the two-twelve. You the one in charge here ma'am?"

I gave her a once over. She was an attractive brunette with a strong nose. Not much else could be made out beyond her helmet. "I am. You wounded Williams?"

"A few scrapes and burns. Nothing serious. The others weren't so lucky... Oh man…" She shrugged her shoulders and started pacing, staring down at the floor, exhaling hard between her sentences. "We were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit. We tried to get off a distress call but they cut our communications. I've been fighting for my life ever since."

"Where's the rest of your squad?" I said, but certain I already knew.

"We tried to double back to the beacon. But we walked into an ambush. I don't think any of the others…" she hung her head, then looked me straight in the eye. "I think I'm the only one left."

"This isn't your fault, Williams. You couldn't have done anything to save them."

She didn't seem to agree. "Yes, ma'am. We held our position as long as we could. Until they overwhelmed us."

She did well to survive, it spoke highly of her. "Any idea what kind of enemy we're facing?"

She hesitated "I think they're geth." she said, in all seriousness. I could feel my scepticism show on my face in a scowl.

Kaidan felt the same way. "The geth haven't been seen outside the veil for nearly 200 years. Why are they here now?"

She shrugged. "They must have come for the beacon." This mission was getting more and more complicated. "The dig site is close, just over that rise" she pointed "it might still be there."

I nodded, and looking at her once more I decided she was fit for action. And I was sadly down a squad member. "We could use your help, Williams."

"Aye, aye, ma'am. Its time for payback." She clenched her jaw on the 'payback', and I stopped myself from lecturing her, telling her not to let her emotion get in the way of the mission she was now apart of. She'd seen her entire platoon wiped out, she deserved to be a little emotional. Being in complete control was my job, and I was more than happy to do it for the both of us.

I faced the both of them and thrust my gun toward our destination. "Move out!"

We set off, and this part of the path looked much like the others. Except for one pretty distinguishing difference.

The man-kebabs.

Human bodies had been impaled on spikes on strange technology left on the ground. I tried not to focus on them too much, but the tortured expressions on the victims made one thing clear; they weren't dead when they were spiked. And they were fresh, blood still dripped from the victims, adding a twisted edge to the paradise.

"That man was still alive when they stuck him on that spike." said Kaidan.

"Killing us isn't enough. They want us to suffer." Ashley replied. "But impaling victims instead of just killing them… there must be some reason behind it."

"Classic psychological warfare. They're using terror as a weapon."

"Somebody's going to pay for this." Ashley's teeth clenched. "The beacons at the far end of this trench. Lets get the bastards!"

We turned another corner, and could automatically see the dig site. A heavily lit stairway lined the outside, and a stone circle of ground could be seen in the middle. On approach, more of the 'geth' appeared. We all took position, and took them out just as quickly. This particular type seemed just as simple to defeat as the turrets, and it got more simple the more familiar we were with them. We marched on, passing several more of the speared men.

We arrived at a platform, an empty platform with rubble all around it. Nothing here looked remotely like a 'beacon'.

"This is the dig site. The beacon was right here. It must have been moved."

Kaidan turned to her. "By who? Our side, or the geth?"

"Hard to say. Maybe we'll know more after we check out the research camp."

I took a look around. "You think anyone made it out of here alive?"

She didn't look positive. "If they were lucky. Maybe hiding up in the camp. Its just on the top of this ridge, up the ramps."

Before I could even wonder why Nihlus wasn't already here, I buzzed. "Change of plans. There's a small spaceport up ahead. I want to check it out, I'll wait for you there."

The research camp had been hit badly. Crumbled buildings, emanating smoke, the distorting stench of burning and corpses. Three more spikes were on the left, bodies readily impaled. Two cabins looked intact, but one was completely destroyed, fire and wreckage blocking the entrance and caving in the ceiling.

"Looks like they hit the camp hard."

"It's a good place for an ambush. Keep your guard up." said Kaidan.

"Way to jinx us Alenko." I said.

A metallic groan ached from the spikes, and we all turned in time to see the strange geth technology in working. The spikes lowered, bodies with them, until the corpses crashed violently on the base of the machine. The spike then disappeared entirely, and then I had to shut my eyes and reopen them.

The corpses got themselves up. They reanimated. Or whatever the fuck you want to call it. They were alive, but I could already see they weren't _quite _alive. They stood, they turned, they ran. There was no thinking about it, they wanted us dead. I had no idea why, I doubt even they did, but I knew I shouldn't stand around thinking about it when an unknown enemy was heading toward me and my squad.

I ran back while facing the enemy, getting some distance between me and the sprinting creature, and took the first one out. But not as easily as I thought. I was glad to have taken this tactic, they had speed on their side. Trying to take cover from these would have had me flanked within seconds.

Ashley mimicked my actions, but thankfully Kaidan had something else up his sleeve. I watched as the second creature flew across the green in a cloud of blue, the result of Kaidan's biotic attack. It took them out cleaner and quicker than gunfire, something worth remembering.

Kaidan then made short work of the last, which was good because I was already checking out the cadaver I made.

The only traces of humanity left was its outline. Everything else had changed, had become… synthetic. It was bluish grey, and it looked to have a neon blue wiring circulating through its body. Tubes connected from his torso to his head, as if the neck wasn't enough. Smog and sparks flew from its mangled form, so I resisted poking it with my gun. As it lay dying, the electric blue of its wiring died too. It retained the agonised expression it earned in life, wide eyes and an even wider mouth.

Ashley was pondering above me. "It must take a few hours for the spikes to turn people into husks."

Kaidan peered over my shoulder. "Now we know what those spikes were for. Turning our own dead against us."

Ashley shook her head and stood up. "Somebody's going to pay for this." She must have realised it could be her very own crew turned against her, friends and superiors.

The first cabin was empty, bar a few supplies I helped myself to. I moved round to the second cabin, and Ashley took a look at the door. "That door, its closed. Security locks engaged."

Which could only be done from the inside.

The lock was easy enough to override. We readied our weapons, and I took the first step into the sealed cabin.

A human woman and man stood inside. Scared out of their wits by the intrusion. I lowered my gun and turned to the woman, a middle aged lady with a short do. I would have addressed the man, but he looked pretty shaken up. He was hunched over and creeping from side to side.

"Humans!" she relaxed, but was obviously still agitated if her fidgeting was anything to go by. "Thank the maker!"

The creeping man, who refused to make eye contact with me, scurried over. "Hurry! Close the door! Before they come back!"

I held my hand up, as both a gesture of peace and a means to get him to stop edging towards me. "Don't worry, we'll protect you."

The lady interrupted. "Thank you, I think we'll be okay now. It looks like everyone's gone."

Ashley looked closer at the woman. "You're Doctor Warren, the one in charge of the excavation. Do you know what happened to the beacon?"

"It was moved to the spaceport this morning. Manuel and I stayed behind to help pack up the camp. When the attack came, the marines held them off long enough for us to hide. They gave their lives to save us."

Manuel snorted. "No one is saved. The age of humanity is ended. Soon, only ruin and corpses will remain."

This was a man of science? I gave my attentions to Dr Warren. "What else can you tell me about the attack?"

She looked at her feet, shaking her head. "It all happened so fast. One second we were gathering up our equipment. The next we were hiding in the shed while the geth swarmed over our camp."

Manuel grabbed his head. "Agents of the destroyers! Bringers of darkness. Heralds of our extinction."

She ignored him, rather expertly. "We could hear the battle outside. Gunfire. Screams. I thought it would never end. Then, everything went quiet. We just sat there, too afraid to move. Until you came along."

"Can you tell me anything about the beacon?"

"Its some type of data module from a galaxy wide communications network. Remarkably well preserved. It could be the greatest scientific discovery of our life time! Miraculous new technologies. Ground breaking medical advances. Who knows what's locked inside!"

Even after everything that happened, she could still find enthusiasm. Manuel stirred, _again_. "We have unlocked the heart of evil. Awakened the beast. Unleashed the darkness."

"Manuel please, this isn't the time."

_ When was? _"Did you notice a Turian in the area?"

"I saw him! The prophet! Leader of the enemy. He was here, before the attack." Hmm, no, not our Turian. Definitely not.

"That's impossible." Kaidan said, as though what he just heard were completely normal. "Nihlus was with us on the Normandy before the attack. He couldn't have been there."

If it wasn't covered with a helmet I would have rubbed my forehead. Sometimes my hand came up automatically to do so and I'd bop myself on my visor, but thankfully not this time. Dr warren must have seen my annoyance. "I'm sorry. Manuel's a bit… unsettled. We haven't seen your Turian. We've been in here since the attack."

I looked over the assistant once more. Surely this was more than trauma? Ok, I had to ask. "What's wrong with your assistant?"

"Manuel has a brilliant mind. But he's always been a bit… unstable. Madness and genius are two sides of the same coin."

"Is it madness to see the future? To see the destruction rushing towards us? To understand there is no escape? No hope? No, I am not mad, I am the only sane one left!"

A part of me wanted to argue that point, but we'd wasted enough time already. I turned to Ashley. "Williams, take us to the space port."

"You can't stop it. Nobody can stop it. Night is falling. The darkness is eternity."

_ Well_, I thought, _that's a risk I'll just have to take. _

We headed round a corner, and despite a hush that had been over the area for some time, a single gunshot sounded off in the direction of the spaceport.

But we didn't dwell any on the gunshot, something far greater soon caught our attention.

"What is that, off in the distance?" Kaidan echoed my though track.

Ahead of us, a huge bronze vessel of some kind was groaning and heading into space. It looked like a giant bronze squid, with a bright red electrical current circulating through its core, ripping apart the ground beneath it. The whole sky turned a blood red.

"It's a ship!" gasped Ashley, "Look at the size of it!"

We stood in awe as we watched the enormous vessel depart. A rustling from the spaceport ahead took my attention. I motioned to my team and we took cover. Before the first geth approaching even knew we were present, Kaidan took hold of the sucker and pulled him our way. Without even exchanging a look I aimed my gun and shot it in the face. We took out the rest, including some more of the modified organics, and set off cautiously to the spaceport.

The spaceport, though surrounded by turmoil and destruction, wasn't in bad condition. For some reason this place was more important?

A locked cabin stood on our right, and I went over to check for more survivors.

The electronic lock beeped submissively, but we could hear a man's voice before the door had even opened. "Everybody stay calm out there! We're coming out. We're not armed."

A human male appeared, with two followers at his side, much mirroring myself. He held out his hands, while the young woman beside him let show of her fear. "Is it safe? Are they gone?"

"You're okay now. Nobody's going to hurt you." I soothed.

The man who spoke initially scratched his head. "Those things were crawling all around the shed. They'd have found us for sure. We owe you our lives." _If I had a credit for every time…_

The young woman looked around herself, eyeing the once tranquil planet. "I- I still cant believe it. When we saw that ship we thought it was all over!"

The man turned to us. "It showed up right before the attack. Knew it was trouble the second I saw it. So we made a break for the sheds." he pointed.

"Tell me everything you remember about the attack."

"The three of us were working the crops when that ship showed up. We just saw it and ran, I don't know what happened to the rest of the crew."

The second man, so far silent, finally chimed in. "They were by the garage. Over by the spaceport. Right where that ship came down. No way they survived."

The woman became furious. "You don't know that! We survived. If they made it to the garage, they might have had a fighting chance!"

They could argue the point on their own time. "Do you know anything about the Prothean beacon they dug up?"

"We're just farmers. We heard they found something out there, but it never really mattered to us. Not until now."

"What else can you tell me about the ship you saw?"

"I was too busy running to get a look at it. I think it landed over near the spaceport."

The woman touched his arm. "Tell them about the noise, Cole. That awful noise."

"It was emitting some kind of signal as it descended. Sounded like the shriek of the damned. Only it was coming from inside your own head."

I thought that over, "It was probably trying to block communications."

"Whatever it was, felt like it was tearing right through my skull. Almost made it impossible to think."

I had gotten everything I could from them. "I have to go."

The quiet man stopped me, then turned to his friend. "Hey, Cole, we're just a bunch of farmers. These guys are soldiers. Maybe we should give them the stuff."

I arched my brow at the man, waiting. Instead the guilty party turned to his friend "Geez, Blake! You gotta learn when to shut up!"

_Irony, _I thought_. _"You have something to tell me Cole?" I adopted a sterner tone.

"Some guys at the spaceport were running a small smuggling ring. Nothing major! In exchange for a cut of the profits, we let them store packages in our shed."

I looked at what I thought to be an innocent victim of the turmoil. "You're breaking the law, Cole."

"We're not hurting anybody! Hell, most of the time, I don't even know what's in the packages. I just thought there might be something we could use." I stared at him, he began fidgeting, and finally caved. "I found a pistol, figured it would come in handy if those things came back. But… you'll probably get more use of it then we will."

There was no way anyone would go to the trouble of smuggling 'a pistol'. "We're risking our lives to save this colony. You sure there's nothing else in here that could help us out?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah there's one more thing… I was going to sell it after this was over. But you probably deserve it more than I do."

He handed it over, but I sure as hell wasn't going to thank him, not after I had to nag the information out of him.

Ashley stepped closer. "Who's your contact at the spaceport, Cole? What's his name?"

"He's not a bad guy, I don't want to get him in trouble. Besides, I'm not a snitch!"

"Not what she asked, Cole. He might have something to do with this whole attack. We need his name. Its important."

"Yeah, okay. You're right. His name is Powell. Works the decks at the spaceport. If he's still alive."

I waved them off, and finally moved on.

We approached the spaceport itself, and took care to step around the fire that engulfed a good part of the walkway. It consisted of white platforms of various heights, its difficult to tell what they originally were, though. Cargo and supplies littered each space, tossed around in the turmoil. We moved up a flight of stairs, and were met by a grim and silent sight.

"Commander, its Nihlus."

And it was. Lying flat on his back, an oily looking spill oozing from his head, completely still. Someone had made easy prey of this Spectre.

I took a step closer to the body when Ashley suddenly drew her weapon, causing the rest of us to draw instantly. "Something's moving! Behind those crates!"

The creeper suddenly burst from his cover, hands flailing and voice trembling. "Wait! Don't - Don't shoot! I'm one of you! I'm human!"

"Sneaking up on us like that nearly got you killed!" I shouted.

"I- I'm sorry. I was hiding. From those creatures. My names Powell. I saw what happened to that Turian. The other one shot him."

Another Turian confirmed what the scientists had said, though not why they would be shooting at each other in the middle of all this chaos. And I couldn't believe simply hiding behind supplies was enough to avoid all the dangerous predators wandering the planet.

"I need to know how Nihlus died."

"The other one got here first. He was waiting when your friend showed up. He called him Saren. I think they knew each other. Your friend seemed to relax, let his guard down. And Saren killed him. Shot him in the back. Im lucky he didn't see me behind the crates."

Saren. It wasn't recognisable, but valuable information. His being an acquaintance to the other Spectre should help us track him down too. "We were told a Prothean beacon was brought to the spaceport. What happened to it?"

"Its over on the other platform. Probably where that other Saren guy was headed. He hopped on the cargo train right after he killed your friend. I knew the beacon was trouble. Everything's gone to hell since we found it. First that damn mother ship showed up. Then the attack. They killed everyone. Everyone! If I hadn't been behind the crates I'd be dead too."

"Tell me about the attack."

"It was quick. One minute, that ship was descending. The next, geth were swarming over the platform. Thousands of them. They must have been inside that mother ship. They shot anything that moved. It was a massacre."

"How come you're the only one who survived? Why didn't anyone else try to hide behind the crates?"

"They… never had a chance. I was already behind them when the attack started..."

Kaidan held up a hand. "Wait a minute. You were behind the crates _before _the attack?"

"I… sometimes I need a nap to get through my shift. I sneak off behind the crates to grab forty winks where my supervisor cant find me"

"You survived because you're lazy!" Ashley snapped.

"You would have died trying. It was a lucky break." I remembered something else. "You're Cole's contact from the docks. For the smuggling ring."

"What? No! I mean... what does it matter now? So I'm a smuggler? Who cares? My supervisors dead. The whole crews dead. It doesn't matter now, does it?"

"Yeah, but the law enforcement isn't. Funnily enough we have a problem with crime, no matter who's dead. Anything hidden nearby we could use against the geth?"

"A shipment of grenades came through last week. Nobody notices if a few pieces go missing from the military orders."

Ashley grew more furious. "You greedy son of a bitch! We're out here trying to protect your sorry ass and all you can think about is how to rip us off?"

"I never thought you'd actually need those grenades! Who'd want to attack Eden Prime? We're just a bunch of farmers! How was I supposed to know!"

"Hand over those grenades. Now!" I shouted, stepping forward into his face. If I didn't act stern now I was sure he'd just keep on bullshitting me.

"They're yours. Take them. I swear. My smuggling days are over."

I stared at him, and my bullshit radar was still going off. "Too many people died here for you to keep jerking me around!"

He flinched and held his hands up. "Okay. All right. There was something else. Could be worth a fortune. Experimental technology. Top of the line. Take it. I don't need it. I didn't want anyone to get hurt. Really. I'm sorry."

I turned to my squad. "We need to find that beacon before its too late."

"Take the cargo train. that's where the other Turian went. I… I cant stay here. I need to get away from this."

"Thank your lucky stars you actually get to." I said, and headed toward the platform.

We moved on round the corner, and soon heard the familiar beep of those synthetics. The closest in range got suspended in the air in a blue haze, the others were down within seconds.

We took several more out, when a biggie came at us. Nearly twice as tall and twice as broad as the other geth, this thing was huge, and what's more it was bull rushing toward us. We rained bullets at him, and his body went limp but remained at its speed. I shot out of the way just in time, "That would have been one hell of a takedown."

The perimeter looked clear, so we jogged to the cargo train controls. Kaidan instantly started tampering with the controls, so myself and Ashley stood on the platform. A huge floor panel of the floor jerked, and moved along the track. I sat myself on a container and stared out at the remains of Eden.

I didn't notice the train rising, but this part of the spaceport was pretty high over the planets surface. We stepped off and readied our weapons, and stopped in our tracks when we heard a strange beeping. "Watch my back." I said, and started following the sound. I came across a large blinking rectangle placed on the walkway. I rushed over to it instantly.

Kaidan peered from around me "Demolition charges! The geth must have planted them!"

Ashley skidded to a halt beside me "Hurry - we need to find them all and shut them down!"

Kaidan bent down and started fiddling with his Omni tool and the control panel. Myself and Ashley stood watch over him, checking the area around us for signs of enemy activity. There were more geth nearby, but not in the immediate area. I could have picked them off sniper style but it was more important to guard Kaidan.

A sound was heard, and Kaidan stood. But the beeping continued. The enemy was approaching, so we decided to sprint toward the next beep, which of course was in their direction. We crossed the bridge and saw the next charge.

"Kaidan, left corner!" I shouted, then stood in front of him and took out the new white geth troopers taking shots at us. A minute passed, then Kaidan touched my shoulder pad so we sprinted again, taking out more of the white geth and a couple armed with sniper rifles. He stopped midway on the platform to take out the third, then hurried onward with us. We followed the very last of the beeping around a corner. All the beeping stopped, but it wasn't time to relax just yet.

We back tracked and went through to a platform, taking only a second to look out at the burning landscape. I ran to a container and started picking off the very last geth in sight, while Kaidan used his biotics on the remaining husks, which we were now sure worked a treat.

He nodded at me "Perimeter clear, Commander."

I walked around, but in truth I was instantly drawn to the landscape. The burning landscape, the molten lava fields, the charred scatterings of human remains and the smoking buildings. I stood and leant on the railing looking over what were the crop fields.

"My God." Ashley shook her head. "It used to be beautiful here. It looks like someone dropped a bomb."

"That must be where the geth ship landed." Kaidan walked back and started ogling the beacon.

I then turned my attention to what the fuss was all about. The reason for all this death and destruction. The reason for my migraine. The 'beacon'.

It looked like a long pole, with a stand at the bottom. Not far in design to geth technology to turn those humans into those husks. It was tall, and currently had a green mist surrounding it. I stayed a safe distance, and decided now was the time to call in Joker. "Normandy, the beacon is secure. Request immediate evac. Beeping through location. Standing by."

I spun round at a generator like sound, only to see Kaidan struggling against himself, throwing about his weight, forcing his feet on the ground while slipping forward. Only when his feet started lifting into the air did I realise something more was happening.

I shoved Ashley out of my way and sprinted as hard as I could to Kaidan. With my hands out I forced all of my weight and strength upon him, and managed to force him out of the beacons grip. With all my strength again, I flung him violently toward Ashley.

I stood to calm myself, then felt a struggle. I was being pulled faster than Kaidan, my close proximity. Less than an instant later I was in the air. The world went out. Then a flash of red.

Blood and dead bodies.

Destruction.

Then darkness.


End file.
